A World That's Worth Protecting: One Step Ahead
by Dresadan
Summary: The arrival of a new era for the world, a world without any Overwatch presence. With the generations from their golden era coming of age and the legends getting older. A game for the world's security begins.


**DISCLAIMER: This is a complete remake/overhaul of A World That's Worth Fighting For, and as such, that fic's story is to be disregarded completely as things in this fic will play out differently and extensively contradict what's been said and done in AWTWFF.**

* * *

**30 September 2076**

**12:32 A.M Central European Summer Time (CEST)**

**Gibraltar, Iberian Region**

Some places on Earth, more unique for people than others usually are. Oftentimes, less unique for most individuals who only scratch the surface level. Or in the case of the British dependency of Gibraltar, up on a giant rock. Shielding what could've been land for urbanization, maybe fertile lands. But an incriminating dark secret overlooked an otherwise small area of land controlled by the British government. A ruin with very little age. Protected in black painted fences where it's metallic steel zone expands out from the Rock of Gibraltar.

Barely anything worth a damn to a national government or military, maybe except a cool base, but nothing of true value to keep themselves up at night and assault it. Maybe if looked deeper, secrets might unravel to comprehend.

This place had a name, Watchpoint: Gibraltar. What goes on inside after the Petras Act, no one except a former Overwatch scientist knew...

* * *

**12:33 A.M CEST**

**A Room in Watchpoint: Gibraltar**

In one giant room, another blocked by the wall on a secondary level. Bleached pigmentation except for moving barricades preventing unwanted entry. Attached to the ceiling was a firm loophole attached through a firm rope to a black circular tire made for a monster truck or something of such magnitude.

But for the moment, former Overwatch scientist Winston laid partially over his back, scraping peanut butter over a yellowish-white fruit as contrasted from the purplish skin and thick hair across his body.

"I told you, Athena, stop monitoring my vitals."

But the robotic assist Athena said otherwise, "Overwatch's last beacon waiting for the signal, right near your hands."

"You've told me about this numerous times about access to the recall signal within this module."

Having on a worn Lunar Colony uniform made for an adult gorilla such as Winston, he'd roll closer to his computer. Multiple multiperspective windows opened upon the click of a GUI button. Surrounding Winston through visual projections. Pushing his swiveling seat back and observed from time to time as he began his work. Athena couldn't interrupt it easily, reducing stress further.

But, Winston always had the assumption a situation requiring full attention could happen at any time, so his specially made glasses, a chip made specifically by himself containing Athena's programming.

Time passed for a bit, three minutes past his beginning of research session, red dimmed the lens of his glasses. Flashing the letters to "WARNING" in capitals and black, forcing him back to general reality.

"What's going on Athena?" he asked, swift to respond now listening at her core screen.

"Intruders."

He'd glance over an incomplete shield generator as his massive hands lowered on it, except it lasted only a few seconds, "Camera footage?"

Obedient as she was, Athena flicked over his computer, multiple cameras;

Camera one, revealed to the gorilla scientist, men in red, white, and black used tightly spun fabric from somewhere off-screen. Directing closer and closer towards the camera, before finally overcoming it.

Camera 2, offsite from Watchpoint: Gibraltar examined dark plumes bypassing the fence, killing anyone who got in its way before flying upwards to meet with those who went in with wingsuits.

"Intruders have bypassed the perimeter and are heading here directly," Athena announced.

All of a sudden, the lab's doors shut closed as lights briefly snapped off then illuminating. Although the arrangement wouldn't last for long, as the door opened. Small red light show lasers coming from weapons arrived, and a strange spine chilling temperature change.

Raising to his glasses, Winston said, "Kill the lights."

Upon his command, all forms of lighting deactivated. Turning the room, except his computers, black.

"Dammit, flashlights, scan the room." said a masked man leading the charge.

Separate from the standard soldiers, robes mixed with a gray combat vest, heavy metal hooked boots, and a skeleton mask dominating the individual, plus twenty shotguns with no reloading mechanisms or additional shells.

Winston could watch giant spotlights, the flashlights, shine across the room. Using the computer installed within his glasses as some sort of light trajectory calculator to plan where he should be after brightness hits certain areas. In his case, under his desk nearby some a bit of cord heads, slivery rubber tubes, and concrete against his back.

"Can you identify what the intruders are using specifically Athena?" the gorilla asked, trying his best to not let off any stress.

"Has a red logo against white shoulder pads, one looks like a definite threat. The others are just normal soldiers with tactical lasers and flashlights."

"Delay them as long as possible, I need my tesla cannon."

"Affirmative."

Anything with a screen inside the zone, Athena showed up. Turning her logo and voices rainbow-colored, mixing ear rape with epileptic effects.

"I'm getting a seizure! OUR TARGET'S OVER THERE!" shouted one of the soldiers, releasing mag after mag at where he perceived glass Athena's distraction came from.

Few more, also having epilepsy but unable for duty.

"You're unfit to be soldiers in Talon if I had to do this all by myself!" the skull masked man berated.

With the opportunity in hand, Winston managed to get to his tesla cannon within a closet, gripping it hard as he forced his final barricade between him and the robed man.

"No Talon allowed in my Watchpoint, Reaper," Winston growled.

"Overwatch Agent Database, hand it over," Reaper demanded, forwarding a hand covered in leather and metal with actual talons.

"I don't have it,"

"Die." Reaper pulls one of his shotguns out, straight for Winston then pulling the trigger.

As shells expulsed and spread, Winston curls himself without destroying his weapon. Keeping close to the floor while Reaper attempted to fire another shot. Wall deflections occurred each time concrete or metal, basically all of the room, one shell spread ricochets.

Reaper's frustration of not stopping Winston caused him to fire too many shots for his gloves to handle, opening a gap for his giant opponent to exploit.

In quadrupedal stature again, he pulled back a single tubular metal piece. When witnessed in Reaper's perspective, an electric ball filled with some unknown gas ionized into electricity. Argon? Helium? Xenon? Letting the gas charge for a bit, at the release, only lightly raising it from the charging phase.

Behind his mask, Reaper's facial muscles contort into agony. Concentrated electrons in a single retorting bolt made by Winston's tesla cannon forcing deep into his body. Held from almost certain death through electrocution was the black plumes that allowed infiltration of the Watchpoint originally. Small little branches caused the change of his limbs to smoke while approaching closer to the metal wall. Not being an outright dumbo to knowing what his surroundings were, he would've been toast if his back went against the barrier, where even his smoke form would've been futile.

"That electric fryer doesn't hurt as much as oil does..." Reaper snorted, slowly transmuting himself into the cloud of raining death.

While still tangible as a gas, the kind of composition wouldn't permit electricity as an option, hovering above Winston for some time. Then partially reverting his arm for a shotgun hit at Winston's back.

Clanging metallic elements and the tesla cannon was out of the hands of the massive giant. It also followed him rebalancing from the sudden loss of weight.

Reaper took the opportunity for what he planned on doing, trying to rush towards Winston's lab area.

"Athena, set tire lift setting to free!" Winston shouted whilst pulling himself in.

"Seen your situation, configuration already there." Athena emanated across the area.

Picking his weapon from the floor, picking up some pace before landing in his tire. Whipping near Reaper's location for a quick moment. Turning frantic Talon soldier's weapons into the fully automatic fire.

"Dammit, you oversized gorilla!" Reaper shouted, pushing Winston forward from his front.

Winston tried his best while one handing his tesla coil weapon making him go one direction over where he wanted energy directed towards. But it changed the tone of their engagement, multiple Talon soldiers tumbled on their stomachs when it became an unintentional wrecking ball of discourse. Overarching both gigantic arms attached to the torso in the meanwhile.

A shotgun body still in his reach, Reaper clenched his fist and attempted to land another debilitating blow.

It just caused blowback onto Winston, groaning in pain while keeping his giant frame up and going. Gripping the outer edges to make it rotate, briefly requiring Reaper turn into smoke at least partially to keep a grip.

Dictating the flow of movement again, he imbalanced the tire against another steely side surface.

"THIS IS NO TIME FOR A STUPID GAME WITH A STUPID WHEEL!" shouted Reaper as he tried point blanking Winston with another shotgun he pulled from his robe.

Winston's eye corner saw the innate danger he was in considering Reaper's proximity. Reciprocating the gesture while doing a tesla charge up. Although not with a weapon, the most ancient weapon of all he released onto the battlefield; the powerful fists of a gorilla. Connecting above his mask, revealing fragments, cracks, and other forms of physical strain to the thing separating Reaper's true face.

Taking a truck's emotionless hit right in his nose, smoke came through the mask, blinding the heavyweight for some time.

However, near towards the computer segment of the zone, Winston thrust his tesla cannon's white, gray, and blue weapon structure forward using both hands.

Reaper involuntarily grunts against his foe, passing created shards and clouds made from shattering melted silicon glass. Standing hard against his back with spilled, unused shotguns nearby.

Tesla cannon ready, Winston prepared to release another electrifying surge.

Under his mask, Reaper struggled to get up from shrapnel large and small, a faint taint of blood and liquid other than sweat rolling near his skin but masked through his dark fabrics.

Short from another electrical charge, Reaper attacked first. Flinging his hooked leg upwards.

"URGH!" Winston groaned, forced on two legs but kept sturdy.

As Reaper regained bipedalism, Winston did too quite quickly. Running against him using his massive height advantage. Taking the Talon operative by his arms condensed.

"EEERGH!" Reaper voiced while forcefully projected into a row of fragile computers still active.

Winston calmed himself as the glasses in front of his eyes adjusted to the sudden attack, "Athena, I'm sorry for what has happened to those few computers in the distance."

"If they can be replaced, that is..."

Taking Winston's conversation with Athena into account, now on his rear. At least two shotguns remained attached to his lightly moving cloths through magnets. Same with a USB, tucking under Winston towards his computer. An insertable device with a plastic casing around it's more important functions with black and red and white, including the Talon symbol protruded from Reaper's fingers. Closing further on getting at least a short term objective finished.

"Be ready for the database, RUSB V.2."

Reaper stretched his hand out. Being as sly as feasible with his next move as to not provoke Winston's instincts up the roof. He'd notice differing amounts of resistance to the RUSB drive through slight changes. Once he figured another drop was when he finished the insertion of the device.

Forcing the lights on again but red and an on and off fading cycle came with Athena's large shouts of "HACKING, IMMINENT!"

"ATHENA!" Winston shouted as Athena got hacked. "INITIATE QUARANTINE!"

"Prepare yourself, Winston, death arrives at the remnants of Overwatch." Reaper counteracted, rising from a low lying smoke screen with two shotguns in his hands.

One to his left and one to her right, crossed in front of Winston's eyes.

"You..." Winston growled deeply, raising the front of his cannon.

Reaper trains his dual-wielding weapons on the gorilla with a tesla weapon.

Winston's holding hand to the larger weapon flinched back, sending a random assortment of lightning for Reaper's general direction. Streaks touching the roof like lightning rods and computers shattering from voltage deep-frying their insides so completely for their exteriors to just been the breaded part of American fried chicken. Lights to a target. But for some unknown reason, a certain force prevented damage to Winston's main computer...

Misting in multiple directions, about a couple hundred, Reaper brings his full self back to normal after almost dying actually. Using his partially converted wraith form as a way to finally make him fall with a single hit.

"One is zero, two is one." Reaper almost shot Winston with two simultaneous spread shots to his chest...

More white sparks from chain bolts followed from the weapon of lightning, the shells vanished after turning into small cluster strikes. Boosted through adrenaline, Winston stood up, gritting his massive canines and normal teeth while forcing Reaper on his back in pain.

While in the process, Reaper was going to be toast for a bit, his robes steaming. Steam similar to his black smoke but more whispy and free moving. Injured beyond his belief he would've, he just whispered in the comm lines of Talon for withdrawal after taking the USB once the quarantine just happened.

Sighing in relief, Winston turns around to Athena's main screen once the alert died down.

"Virus quarantined," Athena announced to Winston.

"Is the database secured?" Winston approaches his seat again and rolls his chair up to the desk.

"They've managed to get about ten percent of the database,"

Pulling up a projector from the screen, it showed a grain-filled screen dating to twenty fifty-one, a message "Initiate Overwatch Recall Protocol"

"Winston, you must have known, recalling former Overwatch agents carries extreme international risk."

"But Talon, Overwatch agents are at risk because of Talon. The UN isn't giving a damn to prevent Talon from doing its international crimes, individual nations aren't taking action against them. If we had more competent people as the highest individuals in the political scene, the Watchpoint wouldn't have to be raided," Winston explained. "I think we must bring the gang back together. To protect this world from growing threats left behind when the powerful vacuum formed."

"If it's necessary..." Athena said

Winston, pressed the yes button, converting it into a globe made from orange interconnecting lines, then a rotating scene around Winston, making him smile in triumph.

Orange lines connected agents across the world, with all of them receiving the call, Athena said as attempts to get an active call started, "Establishing agent connections."

Various names of agents Winston knew and those barely hinted at during the older Overwatch. But one made the entire room turned silent; the name Lena Oxton, Overwatch Code Name: Tracer

"Winston, is that you Luv?" she asked on the other wire, showing an accent that came from the United Kingdom, specifically England.

"It is Winston, Lena."

"Aha, it's been so long!"

"Although it's only been half a decade, yes it has," Winston responded before his tone shifted back to normal. "Overwatch agent security has been compromised by Talon."

"Oh, those radical terrorists. What did they do this time?"

"Watchpoint: Gibraltar was raided by the Reaper with an escort, they're out but my labs extensively damaged and they have part of the database."

"What am I supposed to do about it? I'm heading to a Mondatta speech in a couple of hours." Tracer said.

"Don't head to Watchpoint: Gibraltar. Stay in Britain for now, but have your equipment on hand as Talon agents may know your whereabouts and be extra cautious. Also if you're comfortable, tell loved ones about your return to Overwatch duties if they haven't noticed it already."

"Alrighty, I'll do my best to help Emily understand. Bye now!"

Winston looked at the center from across the world, with many pop-ups within the Asian, European, and North American continents.

"Athena, there's a large dark spot in South Korea, document it," Winston stated to Athena once more.

"Archiving..."

Now finding most agents had at least had the call, Winston scratched a piece of wood paper from an empty page as part of a collection covering his contraption ideas before prototyping them, including the small inactive shield generator on his desk.

"Tell any other respondents what I said to Lena. But place the following factor as variables, their name, and their country. Order Grocerbot to the grocery store with the archived list I downloaded. And keep all outside alerts silent unless urgent or requiring immediate address."

"Acknowledged," Athena said.

Within sight of a clear plastic pencil with thin graphite rods and a clicker, Winston took it. Landing the tip on the paper with the intent to send a message that could send an effective call to arms for former Overwatch agents. Taking two minutes of deliberation inside to think of an effective hook that wasn't half-assed. Thinking to himself as he wrote it down.

"To all agents of Overwatch-No, that does not sound correct," he said, erasing the entire snippet of the hook except the to.

"To the former agents of Overwatch, this is Winston."

Picking it up to remove the rubbery chippings formed when his writing instrument did some talking. Smiling from the success before continuing onto writing it, still thinking with occasional marks done.

"To the former agents of Overwatch, this is Winston. Thirty years ago, the omnic armies within Kazakhstan and Mongolia advanced deep into Russia, occupying over half of the largest country on the planet. After their initial attack, the Omnic Crisis began. Groups of people banded together to fight when their nation's militaries begun to fail. The greater ones coalescing in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Carribean, Korea. Except they didn't have the resources to push them back beyond their most comfortable area. But Commander Morrison and the other five we've trusted our lives towards came together to stop the omniums producing their materiel. Overwatch after the crisis pulled our world into a period of peace and progress mankind hasn't even seen in its history... But you know this, normal folks like us before Overwatch though they're better off without us, they even labeled us as criminals. They tore our family apart! Now Talon is in this world, wanting to destroy us while we're down! Are you with Talon, or with Overwatch?"

* * *

**A/N: I got a little too thinking about it and now I decided to release it far earlier than I'd imagine. So take it as a glimpse of what's to come in this overhaul. But actually expect the next chapter to come in 2020.**


End file.
